“We Value Transparency” Until It Gets Uncomfortable

“We value transparency.”

It’s printed on slides.
Repeated in town halls.
Dropped into strategy docs like a promise.

But in a lot of workplaces, transparency only exists up to the point where it starts to cost something.

Selective Openness

You’ll hear plenty about:

Vision.
Direction.
High-level goals.

But ask about the things that actually affect you.

Pay bands.
Promotion decisions.
Why certain people were let go.

And suddenly, transparency has limits.

“It’s complicated.”
“Not everything can be shared.”
“We have to be careful.”

Transparency Without Context

Sometimes information is shared — just not in a useful way.

Numbers without explanation.
Decisions without rationale.
Outcomes without ownership.

You’re technically informed, but practically in the dark.

Which is often worse.

When Questions Become a Problem

The real test comes when someone asks why.

Why this decision?
Why now?
Why them?

That’s when the tone shifts.

You’re told to “trust leadership.”
You’re reminded of confidentiality.
You’re warned about speculation.

Transparency becomes something you’re allowed to receive — not participate in.

The Emotional Effect

Being told a company is transparent while watching information be carefully filtered creates dissonance.

You start to doubt your own instincts.
You wonder what else you’re not seeing.
You stop asking.

Not because you don’t care.

But because you’ve learned the boundary.

The Reframe

Transparency isn’t about sharing what’s convenient.

It’s about explaining what’s difficult.

It means giving context, even when it’s messy.
It means answering questions, even when they’re awkward.

So when a company says it values transparency, watch what happens next.

If honesty stops where discomfort begins…

That’s not transparency.

That’s messaging.